Great Metal Albums of 1982: Judas Priest- Screaming For Vengeance

For many people, “Screaming for Vengeance” is the defining album from Judas Priest. Even those who don’t declare it as their favourite Priest album always say it’s in their top three. It is no real surprise to why everyone rates this album so highly, it’s just that damn good. I won’t debate this fact because while “British Steel” was the album that got me interested in Judas Priest, it was this album that made me a Priest follower in the true sense.

What was a bonus for “Screaming for Vengeance” was the fact that they had a hit single from it. “You Got Another Thing Comin'” actually got airplay on both UK and US radio and actually got to number four on the Billboard Charts. It is still probably the song they’re best known for and when I saw them live in 2009, it was the concert closer. I can’t say for sure if it’s my number one all time Priest fave, (there are too many great songs to choose from) but it’s up there. It’s impact on me was so great that the lyrics appear in the opening scene of “Rock and Roll Children.”

They may have had a great single but Judas Priest were never going to be a top 40 band. The successful single was a bonus and there are so many great songs on “Screaming for Vengeance” that it doesn’t matter. “Electric Eye” is another well known song and it rocks just as much. “Bloodstone,” “Devil’s Child” and “Pain and Pleasure” are other songs which tickle my fancy but that doesn’t take anything away from the rest of the album. Each song has the true Judas Priest stamp on them and each one must be played at maximum volume with plenty of room to bang your head. It’s the only way to appreciate such fantastic music.

Track Listing:

1. The Hellion

2. Electric Eye

3. Riding on the Wind

4. Bloodstone

5. (Take These) Chains

6. Pain and Pleasure

7. Screaming for Vengeance

8. You Got Another Thing Comin’

9. Fever

10. Devil’s Child

Judas Priest

Rob Halford- vocals

Glenn Tipton- guitar

KK Downing- guitar

Ian Hill- bass

Dave Holland- drums

I must say, the one thing I resent about being in the military in 1982 was that I practically missed the entire New Wave of British Heavy Metal that landed in America in that year. If I had been there, I would have definitely soaked it up completely. It was only by chance that I heard the big single on the radio and more than a year before I got to listen to the album in its entirely. Fortunately, I managed to enjoy it in retrospect so I didn’t miss any of the great metal albums like this one from Judas Priest.